Mighty Mount Bromo: Volcanoes and Horses

For National Geographic Travel

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5:30am—a few minutes before sunrise at Mount Bromo and the other volcanoes of the Tengger Massif.

The Sea of Sand

The vast “Sea of Sand” one needs to cross to reach Mount Bromo. The town of Cemoro Lawang on the left sitting on the rim of the main caldera and Mount Bromo on the right. I started my hike by descending the rim of the caldera on the left into the ‘Sea of Sand’.

Crossing the “Sea of Sand”. Locals with motorbikes also try to sell their services to bring tourists to the volcano crater.

Cemoro Lawang

The sun starts to rise over Cemoro Lawang, gateway town to visit Mount Bromo.

Mount Bromo

Mighty Mount Bromo smoking in the distance. From here, it’s a 30 minute hike over the ‘Sea of Sand’ to the volcano.

Locals with motorbikes and horses wait at the entrance of the path to the crater.

A local resting his horse and himself along the steep trail to the volcano crater.

Centuries of volcanic activity shaped the slopes of the volcano.

Horses refusing to walk on the dusty and slippery roads from Cemoro Lawang to the viewpoints overlooking the volcanoes. Some parts of the hike are so steep that the horses slide down the asphalt. They look very uncomfortable even without someone on their back.

Mount Batok

The volcanic cone next to Mount Bromo famous for its distinct shape and texture.

View from the top of Mount Bromo. Tourist are making their way down again, pretty much no one uses the services of locals with horses.

A local waiting for tourists who don’t want to walk down.

Early morning in the town. A local getting ready for the tourists.

The roaring crater of Mount Bromo.

Pura Luhur Poten

View of the temple at the base of the volcano. The Hindu temple is made of black rocks from volcanic eruptions.

Mount Batok

Mount Batok covered in mist in the morning.

Another local getting ready to try and find willing tourists.

Cemoro Lawang waking up.

The sky starts to light up over Cemoro Lawang.

The sun hits Mount Bromo and Mount Batok. In the background, Mount Semeru had just spewed out a cloud of smoke and ash.

A shrine on the rim of the crater of Mount Bromo.

A view from my guesthouse overlooking the town of Cemoro Lawang.

A tourist walking on the rim of Mount Bromo.

A hike to another planet

We’re making my way down into the Tengger Caldera located in East-Java, Indonesia. The goal is Mount Bromo, one of the five volcanoes sitting inside the caldera. After 20 minutes of stumbling down the steep path, I set foot on what is called the ‘Sea of Sand’, a large plain of volcanic ash surrounding Mount Bromo.

It’s a surreal sight walking towards the volcano with the rim of the caldera covered in clouds towering behind us. There’s almost no one around and it feels a bit eerie, knowing I’m walking on the floor of a massive ancient volcano. A few times, I see a motorcycle in the distance or a local on a horse. They all try to convince travelers to use their services to go to the volcano. The clouds start to creep over the rim covering the caldera in a haze.

Half an hour later, we arrive at the base of Mount Bromo and start the steep climb to the rim. The last part consists of steep stairs covered in volcanic dust and then, arriving at the top, there it is… the roar of Mount Bromo—a sound I’ll never forget. Clouds of gas escape through cracks in the floor of the volcano and the view behind me is out of this world. We stay for a while, gazing into the crater imagining all the things that could happen…

The next day, we get up at 3 in the morning. Mount Bromo is famous for its sunrise but—if you don’t want to spend money—it takes a hike up Penanjakan Hill to see it. With our headlights on, we hike up the hill and after an hour walking in total darkness, we arrive at the the first viewpoints where locals are lighting bon fires and offer coffee to keep warm.

I still have to wait for an hour until the sun comes up but I start taking photos already. It’s cold and sitting on a concrete bench doesn’t make it better. Around 5 am, the sky on the horizon starts to light up and what follows is one of the most magical sunrises I’ve ever seen…